


Nothing to Prove

by deenowr



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Harassment, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 21:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3426218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deenowr/pseuds/deenowr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm not getting sexually harassed, Todd," Tim said slowly, trying to get through to the stubborn boy. "And anyway, even if I were - which I'm not - why would you even care? Blackmail, perhaps?" Tim asked, and the dark look of anger that flitted across Jason's face was a confirmed no. <br/>Then why? What was his motive?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing to Prove

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, Deenowr here. So this idea came to me ages ago, it's an AU that I thought I could give a shot. Been in my laptop for ages now, but I thought hey, why not?  
> So Jason's desperate to earn a proper position in his adopted family, always feels like he's not up to par - maybe he can find a case that he can bust all on his own. That's where Timothy Drake comes in. Hope you enjoy!

“Anyone makin’ the moves on you, kid?”

Bam. Just like that, Jason went straight in for the kill.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned casually against the wall of the student’s toilet, as he seized the kid up and down. The walls weren’t grimy – they were squeaky clean. So much that Jason could actually see his face reflected in the tiles across him.

But it was to be expected; since the school was one of the best in its league. Figured that their toilets had to be the best in its league too.

“Well? Cat got your tongue?” Jason asked again.

The kid – Timothy Drake – didn’t even look at him. The younger boy’s eyes were trained on his hands as he washed them thoroughly in the sink.

At first glance, he would look utterly relaxed. Like he was not bothered by Jason’s presence at all. Jason could have been the wind for all he cared.

But Bruce had taught Jason a lot of things. And when he says a lot, he means _a lot._ Sometimes, Jason thinks, his adoptive father could have been something crazy in another life. Bruce always struck Jason as the type who would go into the military; join the FBI or intelligence, or be a world-famous detective. Something like that.

Some of the things Bruce taught Jason extended out of his own field of expertise; being the owner of  Wayne Enterprises – a company that sold high-tech gadgets and gizmos.

Like, for example; Bruce had taught Jason how to study body language.

Bruce claimed that he did intensive research on it so that he could read and understand the stances of big company leaders in meetings which mattered a lot during a business deal… but Jason secretly thought it was more than that.

And sure enough, if Jason was careful; he could see the slight twitch of a muscle in Timothy Drake’s jaw. His eyes which seemed to blank over, and a mask being switched on when he turned to the older boy.

“Sorry, but I don’t really understand. ‘Making the moves’? Do you mean me getting beaten up?” Drake asked, his face a mask of polite confusion. There was the slight upturn of his lips; as if he found Jason to be absurdly amusing in his accusation.

“Because if so; no. I’m not exactly popular, I admit that – but I like to think I don’t have enemies, if I can help it,” The young Drake heir continued. This time, he punctuated it with an almost shy grin; one that made him look oh so approachable even if he was one of the school’s most elite students.

He, Jason thinks, should have been labelled a weirdo. But instead, he has the whole school fawning over him. Which was a case that needed exploring in itself.

“Quit it, kid. We both know what I’m talkin’ about and it’s not about gettin’ your ass handed to you. The whole damn school’s in love with you,” Jason said, rolling his eyes.

Something flitted quickly in Drake’s eyes, but Jason couldn’t be too sure. It was so fast that he could have imagined it.

“Then what _do_ you mean?” Timothy Drake – Tim was what his friends called him; which was again basically all the students and staff – asked again.

He wiped his hands neatly on a paper towel before depositing it in the bin nearby. He sounded nonchalant, but Jason could see the tenseness in his shoulders, the small trembling of his hands.

He was a small kid; even for his age. It could be nerves, Jason thinks. After all, Jason was a new student – but even after just two months in the school, he had earned himself a title – the ‘Don’t Mess With Me Or I’ll Screw You Up’ title.

It was something one of the jock bastards learnt painfully when he thought it would be funny to mess around and ‘orientate’ the new kid which Wayne adopted… who was apparently more than gifted in English Literature and Chemistry although he used to be a street rat. He didn’t think Jason would be that much of a problem.

But he was. And until now, the guy sported a broken nose and a nasty limp.

“I mean,” Jason drawled slowly, because he was getting irritated at the kid’s persistence in avoiding the issue at hand, “if you got touched in places you don’t wanna be touched. You know; like _sexual harassment_? Yeah,” he said.

For the first time, Tim looked directly at Jason – like he was seeing him properly for the first time. He was, Jason could see, studying Jason. Seizing him. Looking him up and down as if to see if he was a worthy opponent.

In what field, Jason wasn’t sure because they sure as Hell were ‘talented’ in different fields – Tim excelled at something along the Mathematics line and… something to do with business that Jason didn’t care about.

And apparently, Tim managed to impress one of the higher-ups with his mad Math skills and was now taking Advanced Calculus classes. Which Jason thinks – no, _knows –_ is where the current matter at hand started.

“Why in the world would you think that?” Tim asked, and he looked like he wanted to laugh.

And that could have been taken as a no. Like a serious, honest-to-God no. Jeez.

The kid had serious acting skills that made Jason wistfully wish that he had – because Jason; unlike what others seem to believe, had a hard time lying.

People _thought_ he lied, but he never did. If he did something wrong, he owned up – maybe not in a specific set of words, but still. He sucked at lying.

But Jason knew it was an attempt at denial. An inquiry thrown carelessly to test out two things. The first; it was an act of denial – a small, sliver of hope implanted in the younger boy that Jason was just kidding around.

The second; was that he wanted to see if Jason could see past the façade. If he could trust Jason. Make Jason look stupid and see how Jason reacted.

“Because I’ve been there. And I know that an hour’s ‘extra coaching’ don’t mean shit in the adult world,” Jason said plaintively. “Not if it’s free, anyway; which yours is,” he added.

And yes, Jason knew the stunned silence that he received from Tim was as good as any confirmation that he was right. There was shock on the younger boy’s face before it registered into a mixture of worry and anger.

“You…” Tim began, and Jason was interested to hear what he was going to say; he really was – but just then the door to the boy’s toilet swung open and a group of other students entered noisily.

Immediately, Tim shut his mouth and turned away from him; but not before plastering a practiced smile on his face. Without a word, as if the conversation with Jason never even happened; he walked out of the room.

 _Great,_ Jason thought in annoyance, _just as we were gettin’ to the confessing part._ He pushed past the small crowd and went out into the hallway, trying to search for Drake – but it was empty. Which wasn’t a surprise, considering that it was after school hours and only a few people actually stuck around for any after-school activity.

It was safe to say that Jason didn’t really manage to make much progress there.

-0-

Aside from a raised eyebrow from Alfred, no one mentioned anything about Jason coming home later than usual. So Jason was just tucking into a late lunch – roast chicken and salad which Alfred had thankfully, kept warm – at the kitchen table when Dick walked in.

He pulled out a chair and sat across the teen, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched Jason practically hoover up the food.

“So Alfred told me that you were late from school,” Dick said without beating around the bush.

Jason swallowed a mouthful of chicken and eyed Dick almost critically. “Yeah?” Jason replied. He contemplated whether he should make up an excuse but… Dick would know.

Although it didn’t seem like it, Dick was one of the best liars in the manor; next to Bruce. Alfred never lied, but there was nothing he should have to lie about anyway since he was always _right._

“I got delayed a bit,” Jason shrugged, trying to maintain a casual tone.

“Hmm,” Dick hummed, putting his chin in his palm. “You got delayed. What happened? Was it another fight?” he asked.

The flatness of his inquiry made Jason blink, a bit taken aback and insulted at the same time. He didn’t get into many fights, did he? It wasn’t like he was always looking for trouble… okay. Maybe Dick had a point.

“Nah,” Jason said, shaking his head. The clear disbelief in his adopted brother’s face forced him to elaborate.

“It was just this kid. I just got talkin’ to him, that’s all,” he mumbled, thinking quickly. He studied the remains of his lunch, careful not to make eye contact with his older brother. It wasn’t a lie; that was one. But Jason wasn’t going to risk it – they had been brothers for just two years now, but Dick acted like he knew Jason his whole life.

When Jason chanced a glance up, he was slightly relieved to see that there seemed to be a gleam of happiness in Dick’s eyes. “You made a friend, Jaybird? That’s great! See, I told you Ivy Academy isn’t all that bad. So what’s his name?” Dick asked.

And… Jason was secretly more than touched by Dick’s concern. Dick knew how much Jason hated being sent to Ivy Academy and preferred going to ‘any other ol’ school but that one’, in Jason’s own words.

But Bruce had reminded him that the social workers would question everything Bruce did regarding Jason; including the choice of school. Ivy Academy was one of the best; and Bruce could easily afford it considering his fortune – that, at least, would get the social workers off their backs. A good thing, Jason agreed.

And Jason was struck with sudden inspiration, and it was such a good idea that he would have high-fived himself if he could without looking so stupid.

“He’s the Drakes’ kid – Timothy. Tim,” Jason said. If he was familiar with the Drake kid and they were going to be _friends,_ then Jason had to start calling him ‘Tim’ instead of something like ‘that small nerd who’s popular and its unfair’.

“…Oh,” Dick said.

And somehow, from his reaction Jason knew that it was an answer that Dick didn’t seem to expect. And again; that was another insult to Jason.

“What’s wrong now?” Jason grumbled, scowling at the older man. Honestly, he made a friend – Dick didn’t even _know_ the guy. What, was the name ‘Tim’ retarded or something?

“Nothing’s wrong,” Dick hastened to reply when he saw that Jason was unhappy, “I know the Drakes. They’ve been to some of the functions Bruce held back when I was younger,” Dick said, which was a surprise to Jason.

“I’ve never met Tim before, though. His parents never brought him along. It’s a bit weird, I guess, but I used to think they never had a kid and they made him up. It would’ve been nice if he came along though, at least I’d have someone to talk to. You’re lucky, Jay, that you have me as company,” Dick said teasingly.

“Like that makes a difference. You just hang out with Babs and make goo-goo eyes at her all night long while I’m the poor sap who has to talk to the other richass crap hangin’ around,” Jason scoffed.

A sheepish smile formed on Dick’s face and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly at the mention of Barbara, the commissioner’s daughter who he was so smitten with.  “Aw, but can you really blame me? It’s a nice change to see a pretty face after being stuck with you the whole time, Little Wing,” Dick laughed.

Jason would have normally replied something just as snarky back, but he had other things on his mind. Namely, one Timothy Drake who was supposedly his friend.

“Your face ain’t any better than mine, Dickiebird. But what do you mean Tim’s never been to any of the parties that Bruce holds before? All the rich kids come. Was he sick or something?” Jason asked, his mind already running through a list of possibilities.

Oh God. What if Tim’s own _parents_ abused him and Jason got it all wrong? What was he going to do then?

“No, I don’t think so. Apparently, Janet and Jackson – his parents – are into their work. Like, a lot. They’re both archaeologists and they travel out of Gotham most of the time. From what I heard…” At this, Dick seemed to look uncomfortable, “they never bring him along, so… I guess the same goes for other events, huh?” he said.

“That’s stupid. They might as well not have a kid if that’s how they’re gonna treat him,” Jason said.

Dick seemed to wince at his brother’s words. It was true; but at the same time, not something pleasant to hear being voiced out. Jason had that knack of being painfully honest sometimes.

“…Well, I’m glad you’re friends with him then. Maybe little Timmy needs a buddy he can depend on, so – I’m proud of you,” Dick said cheerfully, and he pulled the younger boy into a one-armed hug which left Jason struggling for air.

“Ugghk! Ngh – lemme… go!” Jason managed to choke out, hitting the kitchen table with his flailing hand. Dick just laughed, ruffling his hair and only released the teen when Jason tried to bite him and almost succeeded.

“You should invite him home some time, Jaybird! I’m sure Bruce won’t mind, and Alfred will get a chance of showing off his cooking skills. And anyway, what kind of big brother would I make if I didn’t get to know your friend properly? Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t go off making friends with drug addicts,” Dick chuckled as he walked out.

“That was one time!” Jason called out after him once he caught enough air. “And Harper’s not a drug addict! He just looks like one,” Jason added the last sentence under his breath.

Roy Harper was the only guy in the area that Jason didn’t mind much and was on speaking terms to – that is, until Roy’s Uncle Oliver moved to Star City for a job and brought him along. He was older than Jason and around Dick’s age, but he was pretty tight with Jason before the move.

Still, he did give Jason his new address and told him to drop by any time if he ever did visit Star City.

Once Jason was finished clearing up, he made his way to his room and made a beeline for the laptop that Bruce had bought him. It was Friday and that gave him ample time to do more extensive research before school on Monday – concerning his new found ‘friend’ Timothy Jackson Drake.

Jason knew he should probably approach Bruce about the matter; or even Dick or Alfred. They were mature and would offer good advice on how he should handle the issue. Maybe tell him to gather more evidence, and then Bruce would definitely file a complaint and the matter would go to the cops.

But he couldn’t do that.

No, not when this was the perfect opportunity to prove himself and earn his position in the family _properly._

Jason would never admit it in a million years to his new family, but he did confide in Roy Harper about it. He did it almost grudgingly, but Roy seemed to understand.

_“So what’s the deal with you and big bro?” Roy asked._

_They were both hanging out in the lawn at Wayne Manor. Jason had chosen a location far away from the grand house on purpose because although it had been almost a year since his adoption; he still felt slightly unsettled at the thought that this was his home._

_“Whaddaya mean?” Jason mumbled through his mouthful of ham sandwich._

_“Exactly what I said. Something tells me you’re not completely warming up to him,” Roy said._

_Jason didn’t answer that, and instead concentrated on munching._

_“He’s getting jealous, y’know? I’m not exactly on his favourite buddy list right now,” the redhead stated, “but I understand. I’d be pretty hurt if my younger bro preferred a total stranger’s company than mine,” Roy said with a shrug._

_“I don’t...” Jason trailed off from his protest at a look from the older man._

_“Okay, fine. Maybe I’m not best buddies with him. But he’s always in Bludhaven anyway bein’ the good cop and doing his job so it’s not like I see him much,” Jason replied._

_Roy studied him for a moment before picking up another sandwich from the plate that Alfred hat prepared for them. Jason was glaring intently at a mushroom._

_“Y’know, kid, I may not look it but I’m not that dumb. You don’t have to prove anything,” Roy said._

_“Yeah? You’re not the street trash Bruce picked up from the slums so what would you know,” Jason mumbled. There was more than a hint of anger and resentment in Jason’s tone._

_Jason expected Roy to tell him that he shouldn’t give a damn about what ‘high society’ thought, that he shouldn’t be so insecure about his placing in Wayne Manor, that Bruce loved him and Roy could see it even if he wasn’t part of the family. That was what he had been telling himself, anyway._

_“You’re right there, Jaybird,” Roy pronounced Dick’s known nickname for Jason almost affectionately, “I wouldn’t know much. But I know that Alfred’s sandwiches are awesome and can beat fine freakin’ dining any day – those poor rich bastards don’t know what they’re missing. So just cool it and enjoy, huh?” Roy said._

_And Jason… he couldn’t help but grin._

_“Yeah. First thing outta your mouth that ain’t complete rubbish, Harper,”_

Of course, Jason had gotten closer to Dick since that conversation. With a lot of nudging from Bruce and Alfred and even Roy, but still… it was progress.

Maybe he won’t be able to share tales of his life spent in Crime Alley with Dick the way Dick shared his circus and gypsy roots with Jason without the bat of an eyelash and maybe… maybe he never will.

Because unlike Dick, his past seemed murky and treacherous. Ugly.

Because unlike Dick, he had to resort to things he wasn’t proud of committing.

Because unlike Dick, he wasn’t the perfect ward that Bruce Wayne should have taken in.

Because he was so unlike Dick.

“Now let’s read up more about ‘little Timmy’,” Jason muttered, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Yeah. He was going to earn his place alright.

-0-

As Jason expected, Tim avoided him.

They didn’t share any classes obviously; what with Jason being sixteen and Tim being fifteen. Just a year’s difference; but there was a niggling thought at the back of Jason’s mind that the Drake kid could probably ace Jason’s classes considering the fact that he was taking _Advanced Calculus._ At his age, honestly.

Every time Jason thought he saw the familiar pale face or gangly limbs, it would be gone the next second. And that fact that Tim blended in pretty well with the other students what with his well-kept uniform made it even harder for Jason to find him.

It was during recess that Jason finally managed to corner him.

“Can I help you. Please?” The Asian girl that Tim was engaged in conversation with asked. There was a slight lilt to her accent as she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Jason knew her name was Cassandra Cain – he had never talked to her before and had never heard her speak, but he had seen her impressive performance in sprts with his own eyes and she was one of the best athletes around. After seeing all the meat-headed jocks, Cassandra was a pleasant surprise.

Next to her, Tim sat tight-lipped and rigid – a clear indication that he didn’t have any intention of interacting with Jason. And Jason realized that Tim must be pretty tight with Cassandra if he didn’t put on that usual façade of friendliness that made Jason sick.

Jason knew he had to play his cards right. He decided to go with the truth.

“I just wanna talk to Dra – Tim about his Calculus classes with Dr. Ra’s Al Ghul. I was wondering what you have to do to get some extra coaching here,” Jason said, already pulling up a chair and flopping down across the two.

Jason stared at him intently, waiting for an answer. Tim’s grip on his tray of food tightened but otherwise he kept his gaze trained on the table. Cassandra waited patiently at his side, chewing almost contemplatively.

Then, when Jason thought that he wasn’t going to get any answer, Tim looked up.

“You have to be a genius to do that,” he said with a small smile, and there was an edge to his voice that Jason knew was meant solely for him.

Ouch. Damn. So that’s how he wanted to play it, huh?

“Really? I guess you know all about that, huh, Timmy?” Jason replied smoothly, the nickname rolling of his tongue easily. To his satisfaction, he could see Tim grinding his jaw at the name. Clearly, the younger kid didn’t like it.

“I mean… you’ve got trophies in the principal’s office. Pretty cool. Heard that there’re a few scholarships lying around for you too. Your parents have gotta be proud. Man, what’d I do to make my old man proud,” Jason said.

He made sure that he casually mentioned Tim’s parents to see if he could get a reaction out of Cassandra. He didn’t know how close she was to Tim and he didn’t know much about her – but he knew after the ‘intensive research’ on Tim that he could gather it was a sensitive subject for Drake.

Cassandra was smart. Her eyes flicked over to her friend for a moment before she stood up, understanding immediately that there was some unresolved tension between the two boys.

“Tim. I will go now? Unless… I need extra coaching too,” she said.

Tim shot her a grateful and almost fond look, the tension in his shoulders fading. He smiled warmly up at her and shook his head.

“Yeah, you should go. You don’t need any extra classes – if anything, you should take me on as a student for hockey,” Tim said.

Cassandra nodded, her gaze lingering on Jason a second longer before she strode away. Leaving the two of them alone at the table. Jason’s eyes followed her until she disappeared from sight.

“…So you did your homework. I’m impressed,” Tim said flatly once she was gone.

“You sure don’t sound impressed, oh kid genius,” Jason snorted, sucking his apple juice noisily.

“Cut it out,” Tim snapped suddenly, his eyes growing cold, “it’s just you and me now. If you have something to say; say it, Todd. I don’t want to play any games. If this is blackmail, don’t think you have anything over me to go unreported because I. Did. My. Homework. Too,” he said.

And… Wow. Of all the things that Jason read about victims and their reactions to being confronted, this wasn’t what he expected from Drake at all.

Jason couldn’t help but feel offended that the kid could think he was going to _blackmail_ him – but at the same time, he knew the kid was smart. He wasn’t as naïve and innocent as he pretended to be.

Even though Tim’s sentence was menacing and even threatening – what the Hell did he mean, he did his homework? – his stance was relaxed and a small smile tugged at his lips. But his eyes were mapping Jason’s every move critically.

Which brought Jason to the long-awaited question.

How in Hell did _this_ kid get involved into doing something he didn’t want? Namely, sexual harassment?

 “I’m not lookin’ out to blackmail anyone, kid. You probably know all about my shitty background but I’m not into that kinda thing. Now do me a favour; shut up and listen,” Jason said.

Tim opened his mouth, clearly to argue, but Jason beat him to it impatiently. “Look; we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I talk, and you listen and later you’ll talk, and I listen. _Or_ I make a scene and get the whole school listening and get us landed in the Principal’s office. Which one do you want?” Jason hissed.

Tim glared at him before shutting his mouth grudgingly.

“Thought so,” Jason said smugly. “Now listen, I know you’re takin’ extra classes with Dr. Ra’s. He’s got a doctorate degree in Mathematics and he took you on for Advanced Calculus because you’re a genius and he thinks you’re freaking awesome. And he’s doing it for free because he thinks you have potential. And you know what? That’s cool. In fact, it’s so cool that your parents are cool with it and signed you up for it. But here’s the thing,” Jason took a deep breath.

Tim was currently fixing him with a comical look.

“He’s got a daughter, apparently. But no wife. He’s got _no wife._ She’s probably dead or divorced or something, but he’s wifeless right now. So of course he gets lonely, right? And he can probably call up some working girls or something but you know… he can’t get it on. He’s a weirdo who wants this _intellectual connection_ and then there’s _you,”_ Jason said.

He wanted to jab his finger into Drake’s scrawny chest but he knew that would attract attention. They were supposed to be having a friendly discussion about extra coaching so it would be inappropriate.

“Me,” Tim repeated, his eyebrows scrunching up in what Jason thinks could be worry.

“Yeah. He saw ‘potential’ in you,” Jason said slowly, “he can have _educational conversations_ with you. And – and he can… okay, you know what I’m talking about, kid. So I just wanna tell you that – that I’ll help you take him down. I’ll help you kick his ass, cut the wires off his car, get him fired and land him in the slammers where he belongs; whatever, but Dr. Ra’s is _goin’ down,”_ Jason growled menacingly.

And that managed to turn a few heads nearby.

Tim quickly smiled apologetically and waved a little. Once he was sure they were reassured that nobody was going down and they _weren’t_ currently discussing someone’s demise – a certain teacher – he turned to Jason.

“Well? I’m tryna help you here,” Jason said.

From all the articles and interviews Jason had managed to scrounge up on the Internet over the weekend, he knew there was a chance of Tim breaking down and confessing – or maybe even make a last attempt at denial. But Jason knew there was no way out.

“Todd. I’m not getting sexually harassed by Dr. Ra’s Al Ghul,” Tim stated, meeting Jason’s eyes straight on. “And yeah, that’s the full truth. If you don’t believe me, you can even join in the extra class this Friday and see for yourself,” he said.

That… wasn’t what Jason was expecting. But.

But Tim could be lying.

What was Jason thinking, he totally was.

“I’m not dumb, kid. You’re gettin’ harassed, and I wanna help you. You don’t have to be shy about it – it happens to almost everyone. Almost all victims don’t admit to it because they’re freaking terrified and I don’t blame you. I’ll kick Dr. Ra’s ass for you, no problem! He won’t get to touch you with a ten foot pole when I’m done with him,” Jason said, trying to sound comforting.

After a second, Jason reached out a hand tentatively and patted Tim’s shoulder clumsily, remembering that he had read that comforting physical gestures were effective to convince the distraught victim. Tim shot him a weird look at that, but said nothing.

And to his own ears, he _did_ sound comforting.

Man, if he was the victim he would trust him and break down and confess everything by now. If he could.

Tim bit his lip, looking uncomfortable. “Look, Todd, I’m… flattered? By all this, um – _concern_ I’m getting. Really. But if I really was getting, uh… ‘sexually harassed’ I would’ve put an end to it myself if possible, which I think is really possible because I take martial arts. Even if I don’t look like it. And if I couldn’t, I would’ve reported it,” Tim said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“The thing is; I’m telling you the absolute truth here. I’m not getting sexually harassed by anyone, least of all Dr. Ra’s Al Ghul,” Tim said firmly. “And if you still don’t believe me, I’m extending an invitation to you to join in Friday’s class. How about that? Do you believe me?” Tim asked, folding his arms.

Jason studied the younger boy’s features carefully, but his body language said it all. There was no tension in his shoulders, he seemed relaxed and open and he was meeting Jason’s eyes while he spoke – no beating around the bush or anything.

Either he was really telling the truth, or Tim was a damn good liar. But somehow, Jason didn’t think so. Which meant that… Jason realized with a sinking stomach that he must be wrong.

Tim was half expecting Jason to continue persisting the matter, but he was slightly taken aback when the older male; well-known for his intellect which contrasted with his punkish, gangster-ish attitude, suddenly looked like a dog that had gotten its bone taken away from him.

Jason’s face fell and he looked almost upset for a moment and Tim couldn’t help but wonder what exactly did this whole thing mean to the older student and why exactly he looked so woebegone.

Did he… was he trying to _impress_ someone?

Heart beating fast, Tim shook the hand that was still on his shoulder almost urgently, a bit terrified to think that Jason might have told his suspicions to someone. Which would be one Hell of an embarrassment for Tim.

“Did you tell anyone, Todd? Did you?! About this,” Tim asked.

Jason looked at him like his eyes didn’t properly register what he was seeing, but he shook his head to the young Drake heir’s relief. “Nah. Nah, I didn’t. Don’t worry. Like I said, I ain’t into blackmail and crap like that,” he said gruffly before getting up with his tray and leaving the table just like that.

Tim was left sitting alone, just as the bell rang as a sign that recess was over. He studied Jason Todd’s figure as it disappeared through the swarm of student bodies with curiosity and intrigue.

“Well if you’re not into crap like that, then why?” Tim asked no one in particular.

Tim was training to take over his parents’ business; their companies and shares - the works. At a young age, he was already exposed to the world beyond – an ugly, grey world where greedy, selfish people lurked. No one did anything without a hidden motive; to force their way up the corporate ladder, for more fame, more fortune…

What exactly did Jason Peter Todd want?

It didn’t concern him, Tim knew; but maybe… maybe it would be interesting to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! This isn't complete, but I'm not sure whether to continue it. Still, I hope you folks enjoyed it. Feedback is much appreciated - constructive criticism is something I really need. Are the sentences too long, grammar and punctuation, etc. Until next time!


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